Chapter 6 - Out Of Time
Jeremiah McCall's body walked toward the construction site on the planet Folam Six, but the mind within that body concerned itself with fears Jack's father had never considered.
So much has turned against us, he thought.
Now Setacvas fought the situation the G'voda had created with their recklessness. Their own servants had unknowingly brought them to the brink of disaster by attracting too much attention to themselves with this empire they were creating. He had to reverse that.
He looked at the device being constructed a short distance away. It was a crude version of the one he had helped to build so long ago, but a more advanced device would attract the attention of those he needed to avoid. That had been the failing of the first such device. Their enemy had found it and turned their own creation against them.
Setacvas would not repeat that mistake.
Zachary approached him. "We have a report of a distress signal from Nybiros."
"Nybiros has been attacked?" he asked. "By the Federation?" He turned away. "But the shield is beyond their ability to breech it. They couldn't..." He paused. "Unless they had help. The Vedala may have begun their assault using Starfleet!"
He turned to Zachary. "We must finish immediately! It won't take the Vedala long to figure out what we're doing here."
"The device is not completed."
"It must be made operational at once! Forget the safety protocols," he told his mechanized servant. "We have run out of time."
"But shouldn't we abandon this and defend Nybiros?" Zachary asked.
"This is exactly the kind of thing the Vedala would do to bait us into revealing ourselves so they might finish destroying my kind," Setacvas said. "Syronus brought this upon himself. I told him if he attracted the attention of the Vedala he would stand alone."
Zachary was not convinced of the wisdom of such a parental attitude. Without Nybiros, the G'voda would no longer have a base of operations. "But if we were to leave for only..."
The face of Jeremiah McCall twisted in anger. "When we succeed here, the attack on Nybiros will never have happened!"
"If we succeed here," Zachary added, fully expecting another episode of rage or even worse, to have himself deactivated.
Setacvas narrowed his human eyes. "Would having a chance to save your daughter's life be enough incentive for you, Zachary?"
"Cindy..." Zachary's electronic voice whispered. He had never considered such a thing. "Is it possible? Will my programming allow me to..."
"Yes, it will," Setacvas told him. "All else will remain unchanged. Your primary mission will only influence the G'voda and this region of the Galaxy. I will add a secondary mission to stop the attack by the Danorans on a certain Starbase. You will save her, Duncan. You will save your little girl."
Zachary turned away. Hopes he had never known or even believed possible erupted across his mind. "Yes, that is more than enough incentive to remain here."
"I thought it might be," Setacvas replied. "Send a message to Syronus. I am ordering all attacks against Federation installations and vessels come to an immediate halt until further notice."
"I will send the message personally," Zachary said.
As Zachary walked away from him, Setacvas looked at the two large metal half rings being constructed.
Time, he considered ironically, will be our greatest enemy until it becomes our greatest ally.
***
Above the world of Izar, the G'voda fleet spewed forth from numerous wormholes. More than thirty Starfleet vessels left orbit and moved toward the attacking force.
Syronus again watched the tactical display before him, confident of victory and another defeated Federation world.
"We have done what you could not," he said to the Borg Queen.
"You have destroyed what we would have assimilated and preserved forever," she said from within the energy field imprisoning her. "We take lives and bring them to perfection. You destroy."
"I'm certain that distinction would have little meaning to the people on the world below us," he told her. "I have been preserved for nearly five billion years and as an individual."
"We give living beings what they all crave," the Borg said almost seductively, as if she were trying to entice Syronus. "They desire to join with other life--- as we were meant to."
"Insanity," he said with a dismissive tone.
"You cannot resist the inevitability of life, Syronus."
"When we rule this Galaxy, we shall see what is and isn't inevitable," he told her.
"You lack the ability to see things as they truly are," she said. "How I pity you."
A loud klaxon kept Syronus from responding. He turned to his tactical monitor and made a number of adjustments. In moments the distress signal from Nybiros appeared before him.
"No!" he screamed.
"Is there a problem?" the Queen asked with a sarcastic smile.
He turned to her, his eyes glowing with rage. "If the Borg have done this, I will turn from the Federation to exterminate you and your kind!"
He touched several controls. "Take us back to Nybiros!"
***
A large group of Skorr vessels cruised through the outer reaches of the Meluas system some two hundred light years from Kel-j'na. Aboard one of those ships a young woman busily packed a number of bags littering the floor of her quarters.
Ahwi Dasari brushed the unruly dark hair away from her eyes as she leaned down to check under the bed for a third time. She had to make sure she got everything. Even an insignificant item could have terrible consequences if it were left behind and found by Janus Osmand or the Skorr.
"So, for how long do you intend to disappear this time, Ahwi?" Osmand's voice bellowed from behind her.
She quickly spun around. "What?"
He took several steps into her room. "You are packing to leave again, aren't you?"
She rolled her eyes and went back to searching under the bed. "Every parent in the Universe complains about their kid not cleaning their room. I have a parent who gives me hell for it."
"Be sarcastic all you like, Ahwi," Osmand said. "But until you tell me where you went the last three times and where you're going this time, you won't be allowed to leave this ship."
Ahwi chuckled. "Is that so?" She finally pulled a small five inch long box out from under the bed. "I knew it was here," she said to herself as she placed it in one of the bags.
"Ahwi!" Janus yelled. "I expect an answer!"
"Good for you," she said absently as she checked the contents of another bag.
"I am your father and you will listen to me!"
She closed her eyes. "You're not my father, Janus."
He hesitated, knowing she was correct. "Your adoptive father if you insist, but I am your parent all the same."
She shook her head. "The difference between you and my real dad is he wasn't on some all consuming crusade to change the Universe," she said, looking directly at Osmand. "He actually found the time to have fun and spend it with me." She looked away, lost in thought about a happier time in her life.
Osmand walked up to her. "I know I haven't been the kind of father you might have hoped for, but this work is important."
Ahwi sighed. "I understand that, but you could give the zealot thing a rest from time to time."
He smiled. "I'll try to do that, Ahwi."
She returned his smile. "So was there some other reason you came down here?"
His smile faded. "Yes, it appears Starfleet has made an assault on the world of Nybiros."
Ahwi looked away from him.
"You don't seem all that surprised, child. Why is that?"
"Why should I be?" she threw back at him.
"Because according to information I have just received, Nybiros is the homeworld of the G'voda," Osmand said. "I find it very surprising that the Federation would have any means to successfully attack the stronghold of the G'voda."
"Well, if I'd known this whatever it is was a G'voda planet, then I might have been surprised."
Osmand exhaled in frustration. "When will I get a straight answer out of you?"
She bit her lower lip as her eyes looked at the ceiling a moment. "When I'm thirty?"
Osmand frowned. "When you're done with your room, I'd like you to come to the command deck and help us translate some transmissions. If the Federation is going to war with the G'voda I intend to use this opportunity to prove the truth of my cause to the Federation Council."
"I'll be there in fifteen minutes."
Osmand paused a moment then nodded. He left her to her room.
Ahwi began closing up her bags.
"Unfortunately, Janus," she whispered. "You're on your own from here on out."
Ahwi pulled the pieces of luggage up onto her shoulders one at a time. She gave the room a last glance and walked out.
***
Syronus stared at the data streaming across his tactical display as his ship went into orbit of Nybiros, his home. With each passing entry his anger grew exponentially to levels he had never imagined possible. But then, this day was full of impossibilities for his electronic mind.
"This is what caution has brought us," his mechanical voice hissed. "Instead of us taking the battle fully to our enemies, they have brought it here to us and the unthinkable has happened!"
The Borg Queen laughed. "Believe it or not, Syronus, I do empathize with your situation. The Federation has dealt us far too many defeats as well. We have learned to adapt to that reality. I wonder if you will be able to."
He ignored her. His rage blinded him to everything except what he believed had to be done.
Another G'voda entered the room and walked up to Syronus. "You asked for me?"
"Send a ship out to destroy the Federation fleet," Syronus ordered. "Leave nothing alive."
His aide turned and left to carry out his order. Syronus walked up to the large window at one end of the room. He stood and looked down on his tarnished world.
"Our masters failed once before to heed our warnings, and once again we have paid the price," he whispered to himself. "They shall heed them now, or they shall be our masters no more."
Syronus allowed his mind to drift as he considered ways to free the G'voda from the control of Setacvas and the other Volmvas.
***
Jack entered his quarters and found Melissa waiting for him with two glasses of wine.
"What's this all about?" he asked.
"I thought we'd celebrate," she said, handing him a glass.
He looked at it and then to her. "What exactly are we celebrating?"
"Whenever we survive a battle, I figure that's worth celebrating." She smiled and held her glass out.
He looked into her happy eyes and wondered after all the pain he had been through the last couple of years, why he'd gotten so lucky to have this woman in his life.
Her gaze joined his and a wide smile took over her face. "What?" she asked.
Jack set his glass down. "I think the wine can wait," he said as he stepped closer to her.
She nodded and handed him her glass. By the time he had it on the table, her arms were around him.
Their lips joined and Jack pulled her tightly to him.
"When do you have to be back on the bridge?" she asked as her hands worked to get his jacket off.
"Not for another hour," Jack said. He had her jacket off and was working on removing her shirt.
"More than enough time," she said breathlessly.
The intercom chimed.
Both of them froze in place.
It chimed again.
Melissa started to laugh as Jack shook his head.
"McCall here," he addressed whoever was interrupting them.
"Negev, sir," the executive officer's voice said. "We're picking a ship up on our long range scans, Captain."
Jack and Melissa's levity disappeared.
"Have you identified it?" Jack asked.
"Not as of yet, but it is closing on our position."
Jack picked his jacket up off the floor and slid an arm into it. "I'm on my way."
Melissa assembled her clothing once again. "I sure hope this doesn't take too long."
Jack smiled at her. "Why, did you have plans?" he inquired with a laugh.
She frowned and patted his behind. "I've got a lot planned for you, mister."
***
Negev had gotten used to his captain and their operations officer showing up together most of the time the last several months, and while he heard a lot of gossip about their relationship he didn't let it concern him all that much. Both of them seemed to be happy and McCall did appear to be handling the rigors of commanding this ship much better than he ever had before. So when they arrived on the bridge at the same time on this occasion, Negev didn't give it much thought, but he did take note of the grins and glances from the rest of the bridge crew which always seemed to accompany Jack and Melissa's arrivals.
"Anything on it yet?" Jack asked as he walked up to Hank Evans at the tactical station.
"Nothing certain," Hank said. "Except that it's course seems to have brought it from Nybiros."
Jack looked at Negev. Over the last five months the shorthand of glances and looks between the two officers had made their working relationship a much smoother one.
"Raise shields, Mr. Evans," Negev said. "Mr. Conrad, contact the Venture and inform Admiral Simmons of our discovery."
"Wait a minute," Kyle Hoffman said from the science station. "The hull of that ship is made of the same material the G'voda use."
"Red alert," Jack ordered.
"All hands to battlestations," Negev announced by ship-wide intercom. "I repeat, all hands to battlestations."
Jack took his command chair and waited for his people to give him more information.
"Admiral Simmons has ordered the smaller vessels to move on ahead," Conrad reported. "The Oceana and Tethys have been ordered to join us."
Good, Jack thought. The three of them could keep the G'voda busy while the other ships made their way back to Kel-j'na. What happened after that was anyone's guess, but he had the impression he might not be around to have to worry about it.
He looked at the faces of his officers on the bridge. He could see the fear in their eyes. They all knew what a G'voda ship had done to the Borg.
"Hoffman," Hank barked from behind Jack. "Are these damn sensors reading right?"
Hoffman hurriedly checked his instruments. "All sensors fully operational."
"I'm detecting only one ship," Hank said. "And it's not much bigger than the shuttle we've got locked away down in the engineering labs."
Jack stood to his feet. "Are you sure?"
"More than sure," Hank said. "No weapons, no shields, and no life signs." Hank looked at Jack. "Just like the last time."
"They sending someone else to try to take over the ship again?" Melissa asked.
Jack's mind raced through the possibilities. They'd just finished attacking the G'voda homeworld. It wouldn't make much sense to attempt to take the Chamberlain again.
"I'm receiving a transmission," Conrad said.
"Put it on," Negev ordered.
"Can anyone hear me?" the female sounding voice asked. "I am not here to attack your ships. I have no weapons."
"We fell for this act once, Jack," Hank said.
Jack nodded and looked forward. "This is Captain Jack McCall of the starship Chamberlain," he said addressing the voice on the other end of the transmission. "Please identify yourself."
"Did you say McCall of the Chamberlain?" the voice asked.
"Yes, this is Captain McCall," Jack said, his brow tightening. "Who is this?"
"I am Cilda, a former captive of the G'voda," the voice informed them. "I have the body of Mei-Wan McCall aboard this ship."
All the air left Jack's lungs. For months he had wondered if he would ever know what really had happened to his wife. Now, in a brief moment, all his questions seemed near to being answered.
"We will have you land in one of our shuttlebays," Jack got out barely above a whisper. "Stand by for instructions."
"Jack this isn't a good idea," Hank said. "Let me go aboard that ship and check things out. If this Cilda is telling the truth then..."
"No," Jack interrupted. "Have the ship land in shuttlebay two." He looked at Melissa a moment, knowing the two of them would go through their grieving all over again.
"Bring Mei home," Jack said as he made his way to the exit.
***
Thirty heavily armed security officers surrounded the G'voda shuttle as a door on the side of the sleek metal craft slid silently open. At the same moment at the space end of the shuttlebay, large metal doors closed, sealing the exit to space so the Chamberlain could return quickly to warp speed.
Jack felt the vibration of the doors sealing through his boots. A moment later the force field which had kept the atmosphere within the small bay deactivated with a soft crackle.
A metal humanoid form stepped out of the G'voda craft and took a moment to survey its surroundings. Finally, glowing red eyes turned to focus on Jack.
"It looks like the same basic design as the other one," Melissa whispered next to Jack.
"But this one looks finished," Hank said on Jack's other side.
Cilda slowly approached Jack while a two meter long tube floated in the air and followed a few feet behind her.
Jack felt his heart pounding in his chest. He had a million questions he wanted answers to, but the first was how Mei-Wan had died. He needed to know that more than anything else.
Cilda stopped as Hank Evans raised a hand and motioned several of his guards to scan the tube with tricorders.
Melissa had her own tricorder out. It wasn't necessary, but it gave her something to do--- something to distract her from her feelings.
Jack walked guardedly over to the hovering container. At one end he noticed a transparent section where he could see a face.
"Mei," his voice broke. He turned to Cilda. "How did she..."
Cilda watched him closely for several seconds. "This unit's power source is limited," she said pointing to the hovering tube behind her. "It was never intended to be out of the storage facility where it was kept except for short periods of transport."
"Power source?" Jack asked. "Why does it need one?"
"If the power fails we will have lost our opportunity to revive her."
"Revive?" he said, shocked. "You mean she's alive?!"
"I don't know for certain," Cilda said. "No one who has gone through the transferal process has ever had their body placed in stasis like this. But I did detect neural activity from this body."
Melissa quickly adjusted her tricorder to scan for brain activity. A moment later she looked at Jack with wide eyes. "Jack! There is a minimal amount of brain function."
"Let's get her to sickbay!" he barked. "Have Doctor Preston standing by!"
